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Arete Program Spurs High School Students to Ponder Seeing Truly, Acting Rightly

It's not every high school student who elects to spend two weeks of his or her summer
reading the classics and pondering the noble life, but for the last six years UD has
brought dozens of students to campus every summer to do just that.

The university is now accepting applications for the 2014 Arete: An Introduction to
the Classics program this July 13-26. Directed by Bainard Cowan, Louise Cowan Chair
of Literature, the two-week liberal arts introduction features faculty lectures, seminars
and activities centered on the theme: "to see truly, to act rightly."

"The two main elements of a noble life are seeing truly and acting rightly. This process
has formed the basis of liberal education and constitutes the foundation on which
civilization rests," said Cowan. "In introducing young students to the essential texts
of Western Civilization and spurring them to reflect on works of fine art and film,
Arete offers a taste of how education frees us."

The students, who will live on campus and eat their meals together in the Haggar Cafe,
will read and discuss excerpts from many texts familiar to UD students, including
Plato's "Republic," the Book of Job, Flannery O'Connor's short story "Revelation,"
and Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" and "Henry V." The program culminates in
the writing and presentation of an academic paper.

"Arete really helped me to grow intellectually in that it showed me that it isn't
too much of a stretch for a 16-year-old like me to read great philosophical works
and discuss them intelligently," said 2013 Arete participant Abigail Mills.

Students who complete their application by Feb. 3 will receive an early application
discount, if accepted. The regular application deadline is March 3. More information
about Arete is available here.

PHOTO: Arete students participate in the "Geek Olympics" a collection of games and
relaysa UD tradition that originated during the Rome semester.

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